07/17/09
Cost-cutting challenges Pacific Grove’s core services
Library removed from chopping block — for now
By Marge Jameson
Recommending a budget gap “target” of $2.5 million, Director of Management and Budget Jim Becklenberg warns that basic service assumptions in the City of Pacific Grove will be challenged in the coming years. Coming hard on the heels of staffing and cost reductions put in place in recent years, he and his staff are recommending a series of changes in service levels. Read more…»
Tom Pollacci To Stand Trial
Judge Russell Scott has ordered Thomas Ronald Pollacci to stand trial in Monterey County Superior Court on charges of forcible rape, rape of an unconscious person and sex with a person incapable of giving consent. On March 3 of this year, a warrant was issued for Pollacci, who turned himself in to Seaside police. He was released on $300,000 bail.
The preliminary hearing took place on the afternoon of July 10, eight days after Pollacci’s 50th birthday. Prosecutor Christina Johnson brought testimony from investigators and officers who served with the Pacific Grove Police Department at the time of the incident, which began to unfold in the early morning hours of April 21, 2008. Read more…»
PUC conducts hearings on water plans
By Joe Fabeets
The California Public Utilities Commission held four public hearings this week - two in Monterey and two in Seaside - with the purpose of gathering public input to help select the best plan for solving the Peninsula’s water shortages. The last of the hearings took place at the Oldemeyer Center with nearly 100 people in attendance.
Representatives of California-American Water and the Marina Coast Water District greeted the audience. “California-American Water’s objective in this process is to secure a new, reliable source of supply that’s sensitive to the environment and reasonably priced for the customers,” according to Cal-Am Vice President of Operations Tom Binowski. Read more…»
Unfunded TRAN leaves City to borrow from itself: Other options explored
Without sufficient reserves, Pacific Grove faces a cash-flow problem. In the long term, property tax revenues will enable the City to meet its financial obligations, but not until November. And the City has bills now, as it does every year.
Normally, the City applies to a pool of similar communities for a “Tax Revenue Anticipation Note,” or TRAN, which is a short-term loan, funded by selling the note on the open market, and which bridges gaps in cash flow. But this year, the TRANs did not sell on the open market, partly due to California’s reputation for fiscal crisis. While they are expected to sell in about 30 days, Pacific Grove will reach deficit levels by the end of July without interim funding.
Director of Management and Budget Jim Becklenberg presented options to the City Council at the July 15 meeting, and on a 4-2 vote the Council approved the option for internal borrowing - borrowing from other funds the City has on hand and which are not needed before tax revenue comes in. Read more…»
How did we get here?
Since adoption of what was thought to be a balanced City budget, Pacific Grove has been hit with the potential of State of California raids on revenues. While a budget deal was expected as early as Thursday, July 16, City officials believe they must plan on a “worst case scenario.”
The worst case includes a property tax takeaway of $451,000. While essentially a loan which would, by state law, have to be repaid within a three-year period, such a takeaway would still have a major impact on the City’s ability to provide services.
Gas Tax revenues in the amount of $240,000 per year are used by the City to pay a portion of street maintenance workers’ salaries and street lighting costs. If the State suspends these revenues for cities, which has been recommended by the Governor and the Legislative Analysts Office, those revenues would then be replaced by General Fund monies.
Prop 42 funds are also up for grabs by the State. TAMC, the Transportation Agency of Monterey County, passes through these sales tax on gasoline funds for which Pacific Grove’s allocation is $146,000, the loss of which would reduce the amount of maintenance that Pacific Grove could do.
CalPERS Board has changed its rate-setting policies. The City can now expect a 1 percent increase in FY 2001/12, 3 percent in FY 2012/13, and 5-6 percent in FY 2012/13. In the parlance used repeatedly by various speakers at the City Council meeting on July 15, this is merely “kicking the can down the street,” only to have to kick it again later.
Monterey projects refund of fire department costs: Reduction of charges also likely in future
Monterey City Manager Fred Meurer has advised Pacific Grove’s Interim City Manager Charlene Wiseman that Monterey will likely refund a portion of Pacific Grove’s 2008-09 payments for fire protection because of cost savings that the Monterey Fire Department was able to achieve in fiscal year 2008-09. Meurer advises that the amount may be as much as $100,000, and that more accurate numbers will be available next month, in august.
In addition, Meurer states that there will be a reduction of $167,800 in the charges to Pacific Grove for fiscal year 2009-10 as a result of cost savings efforts made in Monterey and Pacific Grove, and he has directed his staff to reduce the monthly charges Pacific Grove pays as a result.
He is also projecting a reduction of $281,000 in charges for fiscal year 2010-11, partly as a result of recognition that Pacific Grove’s reserve fire apparatus have been used “disproportionately” to assist Monterey while Monterey suffers mechanical problems with their own fire apparatus. Monterey anticipates that it will need Pacific Grove’s reserve equipment for the better part of a year while they await the building and equipping of a new fire engine.
A fire engine can cost from $50,000 to more than $750,000. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has compiled guidelines for apparatus design based upon review of the anticipated hazards and geographical terrain of the area the fire department will service, as well as other variables. Other factors may include ease of operation response speed, equipment storage and equipment deployment.
The manufacture of a fire engine remains a custom, almost one-of-a-kind operation. Typically, a group of workers is assigned to the fabrication of the body and assembly of the truck frame. A separate group performs body finishing, then the apparatus is wired, equipped, and tested by a third, or “equipment,” group.
Green Building Starts at Home: Max Perelman’s, to be exact
By Cameron Douglas
At a time that many see as a financial downturn, there are also many who see nothing but opportunity for long-term growth through a commitment to the environment. Green building, graywater irrigation, storm water reclamation, improved forest management, lower carbon footprint, solar power, wind power and incentives for green industry are terms we are going to hear more and more. On the Monterey Peninsula, a grass-roots movement is pushing for our area to lead the way in sustainable living. One of those dedicated individuals lives in Pacific Grove. His name is Max Perelman.
For a young man, Max Perelman has a long list of titles: LEED-accredited professional; MBA; graduate student; member of the Pacific Grove Planning Commission; president of American Environmental & Agricultural, Inc.; husband and dad. Read more…»
Are we saving the environment for people and wildlife?
Some of the most fascinating landscapes I encountered were in southern Utah.
Family members had regaled me with the unique features of the landscapes in Capital Reef National Park decades ago, when it was still classified as a National Monument. I arranged a trip there, and also to the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in mid October.
Whirling snow greeted my arrival, although I had noted the scudding cloud formations on my drive there. I stayed at the only ranch located within the Monument, owned by some great folks, Lurt and Alice Knee.
The first few days I did my birding from the back of their Arabian mare, and also took many slides of the wonderful sandstone rock formations and enjoyed viewing the cake like layers of reddish brown Navaho sandstone alternating with the greenish Chinle sandstone layers and intermediate shades of buff and cream sandstone.
Lurt Knee’s delightful weimaraner dog Smokey, virtually acted as a guide in the wilder areas, which were easy to get lost in; but Smokey led the way back always.
From Capitol Reef, I went on to the Grand Staircase -Escalante National Monument.
To see Dippers again, those songbirds which can dive into turbulent running streams or rivers, and walk on the bottom, had been a compulsion of mine. Dippers are 7- 1/2 inch long, plump, short tailed, long legged, charcoal gray birds that feed on aquatic insects and tiny fish which they catch in swift running waters . They hold their breath longer than seems possible for such small songbirds, and they never emerge from the water where you expect them to. My rancher hosts in Capitol Reef suggested that I try the Paria River Canyon, in the Monument as the most likely place to see Dippers since the water level was high enough that year.
Arriving at the Paria River Canyon, I encountered a group of ORV [Off-Road-Vehicle] drivers who seemed to be either drunk and downright reckless, or both. Predominantly young, but including many others much older, they seemed annoyed over the fact that I guided my rental jeep carefully around rocks and any water filled depressions on the canyon floor. They deliberately drove into and out of the riparian habitat so the rear wheels of their vehicles hurled broken branches, mud and rocks helter skelter. They crowded my jeep, trying to force me into the river. I had no option but to hug a sheer wall of the canyon, until these crazies moved on.
Any Dippers that might have been further upstream would have quickly departed as soon as these noisy, water-churning, destructive vehicles approached nearby.. Reluctantly, I turned back, and decided to report this illegal activity to the BLM.
The BLM official I spoke to was cordial enough, if extremely nervous. Glancing around to see if any of his co-workers were within earshot, he suggested we get some coffee, then selecting a small room, started to question me, to determine if I was a member of any special organization. I showed him some ID and told him that I really was there for some wildlife and landscape photography; but wanted to report my harassment from the ORV group. His responses were guarded until I informed him that I was a career environmentalist, and favored protections for endangered wildlife, including their habitats. When I mentioned the destructive roiling up of the riparian habitat by these ORV drivers, he nodded in agreement , and then very softly told me that he was a member of Ducks Unlimited, the Izaak Walton League; and none of his co-workers knew that. He also pointed out that his job would be terminated immediately, if his superiors in the BLM found out about his secret affiliations. He went on to tell me that the large groups of ORV members and the retailers of the ORV’s , were lobbying to convert faint deer trails and hikers’ tracks in roadless areas ( the R.S. 2477 maps ) into county roads; and they had the full support of of the Kane County Commissioners, so that it would open more forested wildlands to ORV usage.
Very recently I discovered that ORV proponents already had an existing 1000 miles of motor vehicle routes in the Monument’s 10 year travel plan; and the Paria River is not one of them, as it is a river, not a road!! It also is part of the Paria-Hackberry Wilderness Study Area, and merits inclusion for the National Wild and Scenic River System. For eight years the Bush Administration’s BLM, spinelessly did not enforce the ORV travel plan, or even make a casual attempt at enforcement. The BLM states that it relied upon “voluntary compliance”, which is hypocrisy at its worst; since the BLM had previously documented the destructive impacts from illegal vehicular use, with the attending loss of critical wildlife habitat for fish, amphibians, reptiles , birds and mammals.
In early May of this year, in a fit of motorized mass dementia, several hundred ORV riders illegally drove their machines up the Paria River in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, in open defiance of the BLM’s laissez-faire attitude re: travel compliance in ecologically sensitive areas. The BLM had known in advance of this forthcoming illegal invasion, as the rider’s had already trumpeted the ride; however the BLM virtually acted as a welcoming committee when they did not issue citations, or take any legal action against the participants and organizers of this destructive ride.
How sad it is to think that the very people who so vociferously proclaim their love of the outdoors, as in this situation, are the same ones who cannot wait to trash such sensitive environment. Hopefully we may be able to enlist the help of the Secrtaryy of the Interior, Ken Salazar, to terminate this lawlessness once and for all.
The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, to which I have been donating, has issued a report on the relationship if any, between televised hype from ORV retailers, and the vigilante driving tactics of too many ORV owners, with the help of Responsible Trails America ( RTA). Based upon a five-year period of surveys, RTA found “troubling parallels between the advertising rhetoric, and reckless, even violent behavior taking place on off-road vehicles throughout the country.” Three of the four companies —Arctic Cat, Suzuki, and Polaris had televised ads that were the most aggressive, and were most likely to incite very aggressive, anti-social behavior and lawlessness in ORV buyers.
There are of course decent and law abiding ORV owners; however their numbers are overshadowed by the ones who commit the rapes of the very ecosystems we need to scrub our air from airborne pollutants, and to prevent the enhancement of global warming. It should also be noted that conservation of wildlands protects human communities, as well as wildlife in the forests.
Dark Sky: What is it?
The City of Pacific Grove will soon be looking more closely at the issue of light pollution, an issue brought forth by David Dilworth at the July 15, 2009 City Council meeting. Light pollution is what causes that urban glow in the night sky surrounding a populated area. It is caused by unshielded, misdirected and excessive light sources.
According to the Dark Sky Society, bare bulbs can affect the night vision of drivers. It can blind maritime navigators, and negatively affect birds, animals and fish in the vicinity. In addition, there is evidence that human beings need dark to produce tumor-suppressing melatonin and to avoid sleep deprivation.
The Dark Sky society advocates directing outdoor lights toward the ground and turning them off when not in use.
More than $4.5 billion dollars is wasted every year in the United States on light pollution, according to some estimates. Dilworth believes that Pacific Grove could save up to half of its electricity bill by using ground-directed fixtures and timers as well as simply turning off unnecessary lights.
The Dark Sky Society can be found at www.darkskysociety.org, and there are other sources on the Internet as well.
News from 1888
Wagner dies of his wounds
The angry excitement over the shooting of E. W. Wagner at Monterey by Charles Hawes of Pacific Grove on the 9th of July grows every hour. Sheriff Horton of Salinas came over to Monterey and concluded it to be wise and prudent to remove Hawes to the County Jail. This he did, last Saturday, assisted by Deputy Sheriff Walter who quietly took the prisoner out by a back street where the two men boarded a carriage and drove away, one of these men in irons.
Wagner, whose life was despaired of from the moment his wounds were first examined, sank rapidly, and he breathed his last on Sunday evening. His wife and two children had hurried from their home to be by Wagner’s side as soon as they heard of the shooting. The incident grew from a simple quarrel, a disagreement that might have been settled other that by force of arms.
Our sympathies go out most fervently to Wagner’s bereaved widow and orphans. And in the aftermath of his tragedy, where the innocent must always suffer anguish, there is another one for whose wounded spirit and crushed heart the balm of condolence will be extended. It is the wife of Charles Hawes, the shootist. His wife is so young, a mere girl, so delicate and refined. It seems hard to understand how her young life can be linked to this terrible tragedy, and to the verdict which a jury is likely to render against her husband. It is a heavy cross for one so gentle to bear. Will the Grove, where she is known and highly regarded, become a fountain of sympathy for her that can never run dry.
Constable Walter of Monterey has presented a warrant from Judge Westfall ordering the prisoner to the first hearing of the case.
The prisoner is to be housed in Salinas. Officials fear that if the man is brought back to Pacific Grove, angry citizens will surely lynch him. The sum of $255.25 has been collected for presentation to the family of the slain man.
How Arroyo Grande views Pacific Grove
Pacific Grove is a pretty, but odd place. The Methodistical rules are stringent, and new comers are kicking up fusses over them. Business places are not allowed in residence blocks. Boarding and lodging houses are not businesses, but the butcher and baker are. One can roller skate in Pacific Grove, but no one may dance. One can play croquet, but not billiards. A quiet, private nip is frequently taken, but public drinking is not allowed. Pacific Grove, in the view of Arroyo Grande, is a very good place to be away from, and that is an opinion with which the Arroyo Grande Herald agrees.
Talk the matter up
Now that summer is upon us, with its long evenings, something should be done to provide entertainment for our people-young and old. A literary society or lyceum has been suggested. The Pacific Grove Review endorses both ideas. These are good suggestions. By next week, we hope to announce a meeting to consider this matter further.
Water connections prove growth
The following figures furnished by the collector of water rates for the Pacific Improvement Company show the relative growth of Pacific Grove for the past three years. During 1886, 87 water services were connected. During 1887, that number rose to 132. And in 188, there are 355 services. These figures indicate that as a place of winter residence, the Pacific Grove is increasing more rapidly than its buildings.
Around the marketplace…
- Teeth can be extracted quickly and without pain by Dr. J. V. Horner.
- Delicious pies with extra mince are on the shelf at the El Carmelo Bakery.
- The Pacific Grove Circulating Library will be open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 2 until 4.
- Fresh candy and fine cigars can be purchased from the Avenue Store, opposite the Post Office.
- The most popular boot and shoe dealer for those in Pacific Grove and Monterey is G. Bertolds, footwear.
- Harter’s iron tonic is the fastest way to good health and abundant energy.
- We will deliver a complete chamber set anywhere in Pacific Grove for $20. A. Lewis & Co.
- The Carmelo Bakery is offering 13 ten-cent loaves of milk bread for $1.
Safety & sidewalks: Traffic and Safety Commission tackles pedestrian safety
By Cameron Douglas
To stop or not to stop? That is the question many drivers seem to ask themselves at the intersection of Gibson and Fountain. Currently, those traveling on Fountain are required to stop: those traveling on Gibson are not. But they want to - most of the time. This and other safety concerns crossed the agenda of the Traffic Safety Commission on July 14. Read more…»
archive